This instrument pair will attempt to measure the poorly
understood global magnetic properties of Mars. On Earth, an
extremely powerful magnetic field surrounds the planet. The
magnetism results from an enormous amount of molten iron churning
at the center of the Earth.

In comparison, data returned from previous Mars missions
indicates that the Martian magnetic field is extremely weak and
almost non-existent. By looking at data from Surveyor's
magnetometer and electron reflectometer, scientists hope to learn
about the interior composition of Mars. Such a study will also
yield insight into the history of the geophysical forces that
shaped Mars. Scientists hope to learn how those forces differed
from those that shaped the Earth.

Unlike the other instruments, the magnetometer is not attached to
the main body of the spacecraft. Instead, each one of the
magnetometer's two sensors sit at opposite ends of the spacecraft
at the ends of Surveyor's two solar arrays. This placement
ensures that the data generated from the magnetometer sensors
will not be "polluted" by the magnetic signal from the
spacecraft.